Ivan

Ivan (K. Bondarevsky), his father (Stepan Shkurat), and 98 other members of his Ukraine collective volunteer to work on the construction of the Dnieper Dam. Ivan works hard but his father is a slacker, either fishing or lying in bed. One of the workers is killed because of carelessness causing grief for his mother (Elena Golki) and doubt about the quality of the Urkrainians' work. Ivan breaks with his father because of his laziness at a Communist Party meeting and his father denounces him to the jeers of the audience. The mother of the dead worker arrives and gives her blessing to the work on the dam. Ivan joins the Party and is sent to school for higher education.